Northampton County Prepares To Reactivate Council On Aging

Preparations for reinstituting the Northampton County Council on Aging as an organization were made last week at the first fall meeting of the Northampton County Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council.

The council, which has been dormant for 1 1/2 years, represented various clubs for the elderly around the county, among them the American Association of Retired Persons, neighborhood clubs for the elderly, golden-age clubs, and the Men of Retirement Age and Ladies of Retirement Age.

Agency Executive Director John Mehler noted the council had served as a valuable conduit of information between the agencies and clubs and as a vehicle for advocacy purposes. It is hoped a meeting can be held before the end of October.

The council announced that the state Department of Aging will sponsor a "Forum for the Future" 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at Cedarview Apartments in Allentown. It is designed to start public discussion on some issues confronting the aging in Pennsylvania and on proposals the department is considering for resolving the issues.

Since the department must develop a three-year plan for services for the aging, to be submitted to the federal government, the forum will provide feedback to help shape the plan.

John V. Denuel, customer services manager for the Pennsylvania Power & Light Co., Lehigh Division, spoke on the WRAP (Weatherization Relief Assistance Program) and HELP, an assistance program for people having trouble paying their energy bills.